Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Now
that the 2017 holiday season has begun, I’m sure everyone has a
fond holiday memory/tradition that has been passed down through the
family. A family memory/tradition--one that my family stopped
following once my grandmother passed away--I will forever cherish is
helping Grandma make Uncle Leon Soup.

Grandma,
although not born in Italy, spoke fluent Italian and French as her
parents immigrated to the United States shortly before she was born.
Whether the recipe for Uncle Leon Soup was one passed down from my
great grandmother or whether Grandma came up with this one all on her
own, no one in the family knows, but it’s something I miss at
Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

I
firmly believe being in the kitchen and cooking for the holidays
always made Grandma happy. One thing my brother and I could count on:
being kitchen helpers when it came time to make Uncle Leon Soup. Of
course, we always asked how this yummy recipe ended up with the name
Uncle Leon Soup, and no matter how many times Grandma told us the
story, it never got old or boring.

When
growing up, Grandma’s best friend Rose, my mom and her sister
called her Grammy Rose, married Arthur Weingartner and they had a son
named Leon who my mom and her sister called Uncle Leon. Grammy Rose
and her family were always included at Thanksgiving dinner and
Christmas Eve dinner. The first Thanksgiving dinner to which the
Weingartners were invited Grandma made this soup, which consisted of
breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, eggs, and a dash of nutmeg, Leon
claimed it his favorite dish ever. Thus the name Uncle Leon Soup was
born.

My
brother and I never had the opportunity to meet Grammy Rose or her
family, but pictures remain of Grandma and her friends. Watching and
participating in the making of Uncle Leon Soup always put smiles on
our faces. Grandma would lug her huge crank-handled meat
grinder--remember this is from a six-year-olds perspective--up from
the basement and attach it to her thick wooden kitchen table.

We
took turns mixing the ingredients in a bowl then shoving handfuls of
the mixture into the top of the meat grinder. Turning the crank was a
chore as it required lots of elbow grease, but my brother and I
shared in the duty. As the “noodles” came through the holes at
the other end of the grinder, Grandma would cut them into a bowl.
Once all of the noodles were ready, they’d be put in a pot with
chicken broth and simmered on a low flame for at least an hour before
it was pronounced ready to eat.

I
suppose if I got my hands on a new electric meat grinder, I might
someday try making my own Uncle Leon Soup, but I don’t think it
could ever compare to my memory of Grandma’s creation.

In
RIPPING OFF THE MASK, Cooper Brandt’s holiday memories are
marred by a tragedy that took place the night before his high school
graduation. As self-imposed penance for the heartbreaking misfortune,
Cooper forced himself to wear a mask much like a hair shirt.

When
Sergeant Cooper Brandt, thirteen years later, let his mask slip while
in pursuit of some bank robbers, a second gut-wrenching catastrophe
takes place. Taking full blame for this debacle, Coop swears he’ll
never make that mistake again.

Upon
meeting aqua therapist Dr. Westley James, Cooper curses the fates as
he begins to believe that Karma has decided to retaliate for his
misstep.

Westley’s
first impression of Cooper isn’t a good one, but he’s willing to
give the sergeant another chance.

Several
more hairpin turns in the road await Cooper and Westley as they both
strive to make holiday memories of their own. To find out if they
succeed, be sure to read RIPPING OFF THE MASK by Harper Jewel,
published by Loose Id.

Blurb

Can
injured Sgt. Cooper Brandt, with the help of Dr. Westley James, rip
off the mask he donned as self-imposed penance at the end of high
school, or will fate determine a different path for both men?

Thirteen
years after high schooler Cooper Brandt suffered a life-altering
tragedy, Newark Police Sergeant Cooper Brandt suffers yet another
earthshaking misfortune while on duty. As a result, he lets the mask
he donned because of his first grief-filled setback slip. When
overwhelming guilt consumes him for a second time, an unexpected, and
oftentimes unwanted, helping hand tries to force him into making a
choice: face his demons and rip the mask off, or continue living a
lie while his facade stays put.

Upon
his move to New Jersey, aqua therapist Dr. Westley James meets his
toughest patient yet when a snarly police sergeant accuses him of
duplicity at the start of their first session. When he discovers the
reason for Cooper’s ornery attitude, an odd, empty feeling he’s
lived with for as long as he can remember begins to fill in like
missing pieces of a puzzle.

As
a fragile relationship between Cooper and Westley grows, an unhinged
sociopath threatens to ruin everything. Will fate force the
emotionally bruised sergeant to fasten his mask on even more tightly
or will the couple’s blooming love and partnership be strong enough
to help Cooper rip his mask off for good?

Excerpt

They
made their first stop at Dunkin’, and as promised, Silvio ran
inside while Coop remained in the police vehicle. A few minutes
later, with coffees in hand, he returned to the squad car and handed
Cooper his iced coffee—black, no milk, no sugar.

“Thanks,
Sil. Did you get your regular?”

“Sure
did. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh,
I don’t know. Because you might surprise me and forgo the
coffee-milk you favor and go with something different for a change.”

Silvio
stared blankly at his partner. “Coffee-milk?”

“Come
on, you can’t possibly call what you have in your hand coffee. You
tell the baristas to give you a medium but put it in a large cup and
then ask them to add at least a full cup of milk to it. Seriously,
man, how hot can it be after that? And why would you want to drink
something even remotely warm when it’s already close to eighty
degrees outside?”

“I
don’t like my coffee too hot, but I don’t like it iced either.
Besides, haven’t you heard that milk does a body good?” Silvio
shrugged and gave his partner a smug, tooth-baring grin.

Coop
burst into laughter. “You’re such a dork.”

“At
the risk of sounding too dorky, suck it up, buttercup. You’re stuck
with me. So you keep your end of the bargain and drive since I did
the buying.”

Harper
Jewel lives in northeast New Jersey with her husband and college-age
daughter. She has two cats, enjoys reading, and taking trips to Walt
Disney World. With her outgoing personality and vivid imagination,
she can create characters and plots that are believable as well as
memorable.

Although
she began writing male/female romance/erotica, she has finally found
her niche in Gay Romance. She thoroughly enjoys her male characters
as they speak to her quite loudly while proving love is love. She
is proud to have the honor of being the first M/M author accepted at
the now-closed Lush Publishing.

In
addition to her writing, she’s expanded her skills to include
formatting for Smashwords Premium Catalog, Barnes & Noble, Kobo,
& Amazon.

In
September 2015, she created Slippery Fingers Press & Publishing
Services. She uses the company name for self-publishing as well as
her formatting jobs.

Ripping
Off the Mask, her first full-length novel,
published by Loose Id is now available at most e-book retailers.